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European Commission Spokesman's Briefing for 03-09-04

Midday Express: News from the EU Commission Spokesman's Briefings Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: EUROPA, the European Commission Server at <http://europa.eu.int>


CONTENTS / CONTENU

  • [01] Commission statement on Amina Lawal's case
  • [02] WTO Cancun : EU determined to make trade work for all a stronger multilateral trading system at hand
  • [03] Commission clears purchase of Metlife's Spanish operations by Liberty Insurance
  • [04] Analystes financiers : la Commission invite les parties intéressées à présenter leurs observations sur la prévention des conflits d'intérêts
  • [05] Eurostat Yearbook 2003 : European statistics from A to Z
  • [06] Conference on security of credit cards and electronic payments
  • [07] Autre matériel diffusé Midday Express 04/09/2003 TXT: FR ENPDF:DOC:Midday Express 04/09/2003

  • [01] Commission statement on Amina Lawal's case

    The European Commission has been closely following developments in the case of Ms Amina Lawal in Nigeria who was sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. The Sharia Appeal Court in Katsina, Nigeria, has announced that it will pronounce its verdict on the appeal on 25 September. Recalling that President Prodi has previously raised the issue with President Obasanjo, the Commission wishes to restate its firm opposition to the use of death penalty and certain particularly cruel forms of executions that cause excessive suffering, such as the abominable practice of stoning punishments which are still applied in far too many countries. The Commission sincerely hopes that Ms Amina Lawal will be cleared of the charges against her. The Commission trusts that the Nigerian federal government will ensure full compliance with its international human rights commitments. The Commission would also like to acknowledge the important role played by civil society, in particular human rights non-governmental organisations associated to this case.

    [02] WTO Cancun : EU determined to make trade work for all a stronger multilateral trading system at hand

    On 10 September 2003 the World Trade Organisation will open its 5th Ministerial Conference in Cancun. This meeting is an important staging post on the road to a successful conclusion by end 2004 of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), the round of trade negotiations launched two years ago in Qatar. The DDA is crucial for bolstering international economic growth, and helping developing countries integrate into the global economy. So it is critical that Cancun is a success, and the EU has pushed hard for progress on the outstanding issues. But all WTO members must do their part, to ensure that progress is maintained on market access issues (agriculture, industrial tariff negotiations and services), as well as on global rule- making in areas such as trade and environment, investment, competition, trade facilitation and government procurement and that the all-important development dimension of the negotiations is respected in full.

    [03] Commission clears purchase of Metlife's Spanish operations by Liberty Insurance

    The European Commission has granted clearance under the Merger Regulation to the acquisition of Spanish insurer Metlife Iberia, S.A., currently controlled by Metlife International Holdings Inc. of the United States, by Liberty Insurance Group Compañía de Seguros y Reaseguros, S.A., which belongs to the US group Liberty Mutual. (The operation, notified on 01 August 2003, was examined under the simplified merger review procedure)

    [04] Analystes financiers : la Commission invite les parties intéressées à présenter leurs observations sur la prévention des conflits d'intérêts

    La Commission européenne a invité les investisseurs, les praticiens du marché, les régulateurs et le grand public à présenter leurs observations sur une série de recommandations concernant la prévention des conflits d'intérêts pouvant surgir lorsque les analystes financiers des banques d'affaires conseillent leurs clients sur des investissements dans des sociétés auxquelles leurs employeurs fournissent également des services à titre onéreux. Pour ce faire, les parties intéressées sont invitées à se reporter aux recommandations émises par le groupe de discussion des analystes financiers créé par la Commission en novembre 2002 (voir IP/02/1763) en réponse aux conclusions d'un Conseil informel des ministres de l'économie et des finances réuni à Oviedo en avril 2002. Ces recommandations tendent à créer un cadre réglementaire et déontologique optimal pour les analystes financiers, dans un marché européen des capitaux intégré. Elles insistent sur le rôle de l'encadrement supérieur dans la prévention ou la bonne gestion des conflits d'intérêts entre les départements "banque d'investissement" et "études d'investissement" des banques d'affaires, et dans la communication des conflits potentiels aux investisseurs. La Commission tiendra compte des commentaires reçus dans sa réflexion sur l'opportunité d'adopter des mesures européennes dans ce domaine. Le rapport du groupe peut être consulté sur le site EUROPA de la Commission, à l'adresse suivante: http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/finances/mobil/finanalysts/index_en.htm

    [05] Eurostat Yearbook 2003 : European statistics from A to Z

    Eurostat today publishes the 8th edition of its Yearbook, a wide-ranging statistical guide that provides a good understanding of the major economic and social developments in the EU which covers the period 1991 to 2001. This new edition of the Yearbook is more user-friendly and is a combined product consisting of a book and a CD-ROM. The Yearbook covers the EU and the 15 Member States, the eurozone, as well as the principal economic partners of the EU, wherever the data are comparable and a section is devoted to the Candidate Countries.

    [06] Conference on security of credit cards and electronic payments

    Are electronic payments secure ? Do European citizens trust them ? Do payment providers use the best technology available ? How much do citizens' know about the security of the instruments they use ? What are the users' expectations and their concerns ? What role should public authorities play ? These and other topical questions will be addressed at the "Payments and Confidence" conference, organised by the European Commission, in Brussels on 16th September 2003. Speakers will include Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein, Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne, Gerhard Schmid, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Gertrude Tumpel- Gugerell, nominated Executive Board Member of the European Central Bank. Other prominent speakers from public authorities, payment providers and users, such as Hans van der Velde, President of VISA International EU, and Gerard Hartsink, Chairman of the European Payment Council, will offer their views on the security of modern payment products and systems in the European Union. The Conference is part of the Commission Fraud Prevention Action Plan. The full programme is available at : http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/en/finances/payment/conference Journalists are welcome. Those who wish to attend should contact Linda Cain on +32 2 299 9019

    [07] Autre matériel diffusé

    Frequently asked questions on WTO and agriculture

    Speech by Franz Fischler : "Ten ingredients to make Cancun a success" at the press conference before WTO Ministerial in Cancun


    From EUROPA, the European Commission Server at http://europa.eu.int/
    © ECSC - EC - EAEC, Brussels-Luxembourg, 1995, 1996


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